Bennett agrees to be a Giant ... for 2012 anyway

The Giants patched up their hole at tight end without having to replace the entire position on a long-term basis.

They signed former Cowboy Martellus Bennett on Wednesday to a reported one-year deal worth $2.5 million. It’s rare for players who attract attention this early in free agency to settle for contracts with such short terms – and it doesn’t get any shorter than one year – but the Giants seem to want Bennett to prove himself as a pass-catcher and run-blocker (he was underutilized in the passing game in Dallas) while keeping the competition for “tight end of the future” open between Bennett, Jake Ballard and perhaps others.

There’s still a chance the Giants will try to secure another tight end, either in free agency or in the draft. Remember, they aren’t only trying to fill the void left by Ballard, who tore an ACL in the Super Bowl. They also have to replace Travis Beckum, who did the same damage to his knee in the same game.

Bennett also comes with some risk as he was portrayed as having an attitude problem with the Cowboys, particularly when, as a rookie, he came across poorly in HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” In his career he has caught 85 passes for 846 yards and scored his only four touchdowns as a rookie. Last season he had 17 catches for 144 yards.